Kingdom hearts: Doom's awakening
by mohamed
Summary: Donald, Goofy and the king head to a mysterious world, what awaits them there? chapter 7 up: The King...please review and tell me what you think! Thanks
1. The beginning

The city shone like crystal in the middle of the desert, its metal doors and steel battlements gleaming and sparkling in the hot desert sun. The city looked mighty and strong, and it must have been so sometime in the past. However, one who approaches it finds that the reality is much harsher, the city had suffered much more than the effect of the years; many of its walls were torn down, battlements demolished, shattered glass everywhere, yet people still lived there, fighting a hopeless fight against an unknown enemy. A tall man riding on a horse approached the city, he was wearing a helmet and clad in iron mail. He stopped before the gates, which opened soundlessly and let him in. as he rode towards the royal palace, he kept thinking about the new he was bringing, what did it mean? Why now? Before long, he found himself in front of the palace gates; he left the horse in the custody of the stable-boy, and walked into the palace. He entered the main hall, finding the King and his advisors waiting for him. He walked with long and firm footfalls that reflected his confidence and lack of fear towards such important people. As he stood in front of the king, he gave him the slightest and least respectful of bows, the king frowned a bit, but said nothing. The man noticed his frown, and smirked at the king's cowardice.

King: Commander Alzin, welcome back.

Alzin: Thanks, but I haven't come here to chat. I came to tell you that another two have surfaced.

King: Two! Are you sure?

Alzin: Of course, I know my job, and my people work around the clock, unlike some of the people here.

King: But two? We haven't heard of them in ages, so why have they come now?

Alzin: I do not know, and that's why I send some of my men to find them.

At that point, a young man ran into the hall, clad in armor similar to Alzin's yet lesser in quality. He ran to Alzin, out of breath and scared.

Alzin: Angelo? What are you doing here?

Angelo: My apologies commander, but I have some urgent news for you.

Alzin: Yes?

Angelo: I think you'd like to hear that news in private, commander.

Much to the king's annoyance, Alzin and Angelo walked out of the room, without even saluting him. When they were out of the hall, he struck the table in front of him with his fist, sending the wine cup flying into the air.

King: If only we had the strength….

Meanwhile, Alzin and Angelo discussed the news he brought

Alzin: So, what is the urgent news you wished to disclose to me in private?

Angelo: Commander, another one has appeared.

Alzin: three? Impossible!

Angelo: what's more is that…

Alzin: yes? What happened?

Angelo: we lost three of our chasers.

Alzin: WHAT?

After what seemed like an eternity, Sora was finally reunited with his friends, Riku and Kairi. King Mickey, as well as Donald and goofy visited them frequently, using a wormhole that he discovered while getting back to the castle. Sora was snoring peacefully in his bed, when he heard someone calling his name. Lazily, he opened his eyes, and found Kairi standing near the bed.

Sora: Kairi? What the…? How did you get in here?

Kairi: Your mom let me in, is something wrong?

Sora: no, no, but I'm just surprised, you never did that before.

Kairi: yeah, but I had to. You see……

Before she could continue her sentence, two voices cried out happily

Donald and Goofy: Sora!

Sora hardly got up in bed, before Donald and goofy jumped on top of him

Sora: you guys! I can't breathe.

Donald: we missed you, Sora!

Goofy: yup! A-hyuck!

Sora: Yeah, I missed you guys too, but get off me already.

Kairi: I'll be waiting for you on the island, Donald, goofy, come with me.

Sora: I'll be right behind you; I just need to get dressed.

Sora took off his pajamas, and put on his old black and yellow clothes he got from the fairy godmothers, as well as the small, crown shaped amulet he wore since his childhood.

Sora: Heh ... I can't even remember who gave it to me.

Sora then went out, said goodbye to his mother, and left for the island. He found them waiting by the big tree log where they used to sit for a long time.

Kairi: took you long enough!

Sora: Sorry! I'm here now, right?

Kairi: yeah yeah, listen, the king and Riku are waiting for you in the secret hideout.

Sora: Really? Why?

Kairi: I actually don't know, I'll stay here with Donald and goofy, you go ahead

Sora then turned to goofy and Donald

Sora: Be nice you guys, no crazy capers around her, ok?

Donald: of course, who do you think we are?

Sora: do I really have to answer that question?

Donald: waaak!

Goofy: Easy, Donald, Sora's just kidding…. Don't worry, Sora, we'll be good.

Sora: Ok, I'll see you later.


	2. Fighting the unknown

Back in the ravaged city, in one of its many side streets, a man dressed in a strange suit of armor, and a strange helmet walked warily through the street…he seemed to be avoiding something, or someone. His suit was dented and covered with scratches, the glass front of his helmet was broken, revealing only his mouth and his short stubble. He continued to walk with tired feet through the street, peering behind him every now and then. After a few moments, he got to a large abandoned warehouse. It was dark and musty, and the smell of dust filled his nose, but it provided shelter, and that alone made him forget any misgivings. He lay back against a large wooden box, and tried to rest for a few minutes, before going on with the mission in mind. As he rested, his mind simply would not let go, many things raced in his head_…. Too much had happened, will he find them there? What if they are gone? What will he do then? Give up? Fight alone?_ His choices were terribly limited, but soon enough, he'd have to take a stand. He just wished he'd find them, three minds work much better than one. Suddenly, he lunged forwards from the box, and almost at the same time, something tore the box in two, sending the debris flying after him. He looked at the huge pieces of wood approaching him, then miraculously a weapon materialized in his hand with a flash of light, some sort of a sword, but instead of the sharp end, it was intricately designed like a…key, a keyblade …it seemed to be a fitting name for the strange weapon. He swung at the approaching pieces, shredding them to pieces with an impressive accuracy. Despite being tired, he jumped to his feet, completely alert of his surroundings. When the dust from the box cleared, he could see three men facing him, they were dressed in armor, and each held a weapon in his hand. When he saw the weapons, his breath caught …._keyblades? _The weapons had a different shape and color than his, but there was no doubt about it, those were keyblades…. _are they of my order? _The man thought about it, but dismissed the thought almost immediately...the clothes, the looks, they were not right at all. _Then how did they get their hands on the keyblades? It wasn't exactly the easiest weapon to obtain_…..he remembered his teacher's words…._the keyblade chooses those pure of heart_. He doubted that those were pure of heart, or anything at all. His eyes, hidden by the broken glass veneer, shifted nervously among the three warriors facing him. The tallest and largest of the men, apparently their leader looked at him, then at his 2 companions, then he smiled, a wicked, knowing smile.

_Yep, definitely not pure of heart._

"Look boys! We've found another one." The leader said, as he eyed the man with the same knowing smile. The two men shifted nervously, not having the same urge to joke as their leader, their eyes were fixed on the man with the strange armor.

He was still reeling from the man's words _another one? There were more?_ Then it was true, the assembly was no joke, he had hoped that it was just a prank played by his friends, it wasn't the first time they had done so, but by what he had just heard, it seemed that things were far worse than he pictured in his darkest scenarios. Those men knew apparently of his order, and by the sound of it, those of his order had been _what? Captured? Killed?_ He had no way of knowing what their fate was, but he figured that those men facing him were not about to offer him bed and breakfast. _Well, only one thing left to do…._ He gripped his keyblade firmly, and said in a quiet voice that hid his fear

" I do not wish to fight you. Please, allow me to leave without making a scene."

The leader snorted in mockery, he was not going to let his prey escape

"Well, I was going to tell you the same thing…well, almost. Surrender quietly, and we'll spare your life …… for now."

_Maybe this was just a bad idea after all, I shouldn't have stopped here._ He thought remorsefully. _Too late!_ The cynical voice inside him said, it wasn't going to be that easy.

His thoughts were interrupted by the leader charging at him, followed by the two hesitant soldiers. Maybe he can just escape, without causing any real damage. He did his best, trying to block their attacks, never returning the blows, he jumped and dodged, but it seemed hopeless. He couldn't block them all at once, and the lack of retaliation just made them bolder. When one of them came dangerously close to his arm, he realized that defending himself was not going to cut it with those people. He had to fight back. He grabbed the one nearest to him by the neck, and hurled him forcefully at the other soldier. Both of them fell back on the ground, whereas the leader stared at him in anger.

Leader: so, you finally decided to fight back, I thought you were going to stand there like a chicken!

Man: Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no intention of holding back, so I am asking you for the last time, please, don't make me do something that I'll regret later on.

Leader: How merciful! Do you really think that we would be afraid of you? What are you? A mere key bearer….so what?

The leader waved his hand in the air, conveying his disregard, he swung the keyblade in his hand a couple of times, and then he pointed it at the man.

Leader: You key bearers think yourself so high and mighty, just because you were chosen by that stupid weapon, how idiotic of you! Well, now we've got keyblades as well, so where's your advantage now?

_Down the drain, I guess…. But still, those guys are no match for me…gotta remember that. If it's a fight they want, then so be it. This place is too small to fight in._ he looked up, and saw what he wanted… Near the roof of the warehouse, he saw a bridge crossing a gap between the warehouse and a distant ruined castle. _Perfect_, he jumped high over them onto some crates, then he kept bouncing quickly from side to side till he reached the bridge. He looked down at them, with a smirk across his face. The leader looked at him in disbelief that quickly turned to anger. He jumped after him, followed by the two hesitant soldiers. He waited calmly for them to get to him. He had no choice but to incapacitate them once and for all. _I hate to do it, but I'm already late as is._ The leader was already standing in front of him. The other two soldiers emerged behind him _a pincer attack…cute…_ he smiled calmly at the angry leader, who got even more infuriated by his calm demeanor.

Leader: You look pretty calm…don't you realize what's going to happen to you?

Man: it looks like you're the one who doesn't understand…I'll ask you one more time, please leave me alone and go back to whatever you were doing.

Leader: still playing tough guy, eh? Well, don't say I didn't warn you!

Suddenly, both the leader and the two soldiers charged at him from both sides, but he stood firmly in his place. As the leader charged, he wondered what made that man so sure of himself _Goddamn key bearers...so sure of themselves. Well, that idiot is going to get himself killed. _He still stood, with his keyblade in hand. _Wait, something's not right. _He was already face to face with the man, who smiled a sly smile, looking him in the eyes. _No way! _There was a flash of light, one of the soldiers felt a searing heat as something slashed him across the chest. The other one felt something kicking him in the gut, unable to breathe, he fell to his knees. Another kick sent him flying off the bridge, down to his demise; he crashed on top of some metal crates, and didn't move again. For a second, the leader couldn't see a thing, everything was a blur. When the dust cleared, one of his men lay dead, and the other was a heap on a metal crate 100 feet below. He fell to the ground, noticing the pain in his arm growing, there was a dent in his armor, and blood was seeping from it. _That bastard got me, impossible!_ He held his arm in pain, and looked up at the man. He stood threateningly in front of him, but something was different about him, he looked more powerful. _Damn, I knew he was a dual-wielder._ He was holding two keyblades now, one in each hand. He walked over to the leader, and picked him up by the collar. He brought the leader's face up close to his own, and their eyes met; the leader's fearful eyes, and his cold, death-defying ones.

Man: I warned you, didn't I?

Leader: You think this is the end? Heh, it's just getting started.

Man: well, I'll have to leave a message then.

Before the leader could say anything, the man walked over to the edge of the bridge and flung him over. The leader cried out in terror, until his cries were interrupted by the sound of his body impaled by one of the spires on the lower levels. He lay there hanging lifelessly. The bridge was already deserted…


	3. A new adventure

As he walked towards the secret place near the waterfall, Sora wondered what could be dangerous enough for a secret meeting like that. Sure, the king had visited them before, but he was always happy and cheerful, and they usually spent the day having fun at the beach. _Could the nobodies be back again? Nah, it doesn't make sense…Xemnas is already gone, and for the past year, there hasn't been a single incident involving nobodies. The heartless are still there, of course. We realized a long time ago that the heartless can never be vanquished completely; they are creatures of darkness, and as long as darkness exists, we'll never be rid of them. Same with the nobodies, but they are much more reclusive and they've got minds of their own…we don't see much of them now. So, what could it be?_ He found himself standing in front of the dark entrance, he crouched and went inside. No matter how many times he went into that place, he felt a chill which he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because of the many drawings he, Riku and Kairi drew a long time ago. Maybe it was the nostalgic aura he felt whenever he saw that small paopu fruit drawing he and Kairi made. And of course, that mysterious door in the back of the cave drew a few question marks… he still wonders about it a lot, although the king told him that it probably houses the heart to this world. He feels that there's more to it than that, but there's no way to open the door, no handle, not even a keyhole. When he walked into the place, he saw the king and Riku standing near the door, examining it with interest.

Sora: Hey…any luck?

Riku and the king turned to greet him. Although King Mickey was the highest royal authority in Disney castle, Sora couldn't help smiling when he saw his big round ears. Riku walked up to him, then suddenly held him in a playful headlock.

Sora: Hey! ...what gives?

Riku: that's what you get for oversleeping…again.

Sora: come on, Riku, give me a break.

The king watched them with a calm smile. _Those two will always be like this…always competing over something, but it's better like that. They'll realize it soon enough._ A few minutes later, both of them stopped fighting and paid attention to him. Riku let him go and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Riku: sorry, your majesty. I just wanted to teach old sleeping-pills here a small lesson.

Sora: yeah, sorry for being late, your majesty.

The king: that's quite alright, you two. I actually enjoyed that your small brawl back there, kinda reminded me of the old days.

Riku: come on, your majesty…you want us to believe that you ,of all people, used to fight?

The king: I was not born a king, Riku, whatever you might think. I used to get into fights all the time. Pete was quite the adversary, I must say.

Riku: I am sure he was, he gave Sora quite the hard time, I heard.

Sora: yeah, he fights hard, and doesn't give up easily. That time in the underworld really tired me out, if it hadn't been for Hercules, I don' think I would have won.

Riku: I seriously doubt that, but anyway….

They both looked over at the king

The king: yes, I guess I haven't explained the reason for my visit.

Sora: is it something serious, your majesty?

The king: unfortunately, yes. I have news that look like they might be bad.

Sora: nobodies? Heartless? What is it this time?

The king: I'm not really sure. You see, after Xemnas was defeated, and you came back to the island. I went to Holl…err. I mean, radiant garden, where Leon and I spent some time trying to sift through the enormous database Ansem had created. It wasn't an easy job, at all, he had created some pretty strong passwords, and it took Leon a long time to decipher them.

Riku: and did you find anything, your majesty?

The king: we found a lot of stuff; Ansem had collected a lot of information about everything…heartless, nobodies, and the worlds in general. I had helped form the world database with him, but I never knew he kept such a detailed database. I'll admit, it was pretty informative, but I had a lot of things to do back at the castle, so I left the rest to Leon, and left.

Sora: I guess he did find something then, right?

The king: yes, Leon contacted me a little while ago, and told me that he found an interesting piece of information. I decided to go there right away, but unfortunately I must go with Donald and goofy to take care of other pressing matters, and that's where you come in.

Sora's excitement expanded enormously with the prospect of a new adventure. _I was getting a bit bored with the quiet life on the island. _He looked over at Riku, and his excited smile and gleaming eyes gave Sora the impression that he was thinking the same thing.

Riku: you want us to go to radiant garden?

The king: exactly, I want you to go and meet Leon, to see what news he has. We'll meet up later, and then we can discuss what it all means.

Sora: but how are we gonna get there? Last time I saw the Gummi ship was when we went to the World That never Was. Riku and I came back through the door to light, and I never saw it again.

The king: Well, Donald's never ending yapping about it made me go back and get it, so, in fact, it's just lying outside, near the island's pier.

Riku: Ok, so we should be getting on our way then. I have a feeling that this might be a bit bigger than we think.

The king: yes, I have the same feeling, Riku.

Suddenly, they heard a loud voice outside. Sora, Riku and the king hurried quickly to find its source. They were surprised to find Donald lying on the ground out cold, Kairi and goofy were laughing their hearts out.

Sora: what happened? Why's Donald lying on the ground like that?

Goofy: well, during our last visits, Kairi asked Donald to teach her how to use magic. He found her highly talented in using that stuff, and so, they went on with the training.

Riku and Sora turned to Kairi, who was blushing in embarrassment.

Riku: Wow Kairi, all that without telling us?

Kairi: well, you guys already had your keyblades, and I needed something to fight with. So, I asked Donald if he could help me to learn how to use magic, and he agreed.

Sora smiled, understanding what had happened to Donald, he walked over to him, and helped him up, then whispered in his ear

Sora: beaten by a girl? Aren't you embarrassed, Donald?

Donald: Waaak! I never knew she was so talented, Sora. She took me by surprise, and I am the court mage. Believe me; she's got a lot of potential.

Sora: whatever, the fact remains…you were beaten by a girl!

Sora walked away laughing, as Donald fumed with anger. He pointed his staff at Sora, _have a taste of this then, wise guy! _And fired a small fire spell at him. Sora's clothes caught on fire, he quickly ran to the sea, and jumped headfirst into it, putting the fire out, as everybody laughed around him.

Riku: well, that'll teach ya never to mock people, eh, Sora?

Sora: Sure, and especially Donald.

The king: I think you should take Kairi along too.

Sora: what? No way!

Kairi: why not?

Riku: you don't know how to fight, and we'll have to look out for you.

Donald: I don't think you'll have to worry about her battle skills, Riku. I made that mistake once before, and my tail still hurts from that lightning zap.

Riku: Oh well, I guess we don't have a choice.

Kairi: you won't be disappointed.

Sora: I'm sure we won't.

They smiled happily, and walked back to their houses. Their adventure was already underway.


	4. A world that still exists

He walked through the rainy streets, as the neon lights burned bright in the dark night. He looked around…_nothing at all…the very air is silent._ He recalled times when those streets were filled with heartless everywhere. _ Not that we had anything to do with them. Just a means to an end, a foolish end nonetheless._ He smirked as he remembered the organization, which he was a part of. _ Those fools actually thought that Kingdom hearts would give them their hearts back…they never realized that this place only devours hearts, it does not create them. After all, that place is only one of 'its' creations. _ He wondered how no one had heard of that thing before, but then again, it was one of the most covered up secrets of all time, no one wished for such horrific events to surface ever again._ Well, all that's about to change, very soon._ He looked up at the huge building facing him._ The memory skyscraper, our old headquarters._ It was Xemnas' idea to build that huge castle, to make it closer to the position of kingdom hearts. The skyscraper had housed them for a much longer time, and it had many secrets they kept out of sight. He didn't walk into it though…he went to the side, where a huge truck blocked the way into an alley. He smiled knowingly; _too bad no one realized what this was. _He went to the side, and ran his gloved hand against the sleek metal…till he reached what he was looking for. _Right here…_his hand pressed a hidden switch, and a mechanism creaked into life; the truck rolled slowly to the side, granting him entry into the secret alley beyond. He checked it out carefully, _no one's been here for a while. _ Dust covered the walls, and doors seemed untouched. _ Makes my job easier…he said he'd be here soon. Wouldn't want him to doubt the place, not after all I've done. _ He walked towards the distant large door, which was covered by an all too familiar emblem, the inverted splintered heart with the cross-like shape protruding from it. He smiled smugly, _ the nobody symbol...haven't seen it for a while. Not since Castle Oblivion…_ a sharp anger suddenly welled up inside him, remembering what had happened for him earlier, what had kept him from acting for three whole years. _ No need to think of it now, all will be fixed in due time...in due time._ With a smile of satisfaction on his face, he opened the door and walked in. there were preparations to make, he had been waiting for this chance for a long time, and he was not going to be denied from it, not after all he'd done and sacrificed. The room was cold, much colder than he expected, but then again, nobody had entered it in almost two years. He walked over to the dusty fireplace;_ it still has wood, how fortunate. _He moved his hand towards the wood, a small spark flew from his hand, and a fire sprang to life. He welcomed the change from the cold weather outside, and so he sat by the fire, gazing into the flames. Slowly, his train of thoughts shifted to his most recent memories, memories he'd kept for himself, ones that even HE did not know about. He still recalled that moment, when he faced off against Riku, it seemed that all was lost; Riku was not easily affected or deceived by the darkness, being one of its denizens for some time. However, and fortunately for him, Riku left, and his clone was supposed to finish him off._ But it was a clone, and copies do not have the same experience as their original selves. _When the clone attacked, he used his last ounce of power to manifest a shadow copy of himself, an almost perfect copy, but it was enough to trick the clone, which attacked it, and thus he officially was dead. He had to admit though, that last surge of power was a little too much, and he almost died…it had been foolish, but necessary. He lay in a hidden place inside the castle for the following days, regenerating his strength and thinking about his next move. When he had gathered enough strength to move, he got out of his hiding place, only to find the place ruined and abandoned. _That runt and his friends defeated everyone? Vexen, Axel, Larxene, Lexaeus and even Marluxia? I have underestimated them._ There was a problem though, he couldn't return to Xemnas now, that would blow any cover he had, and would ruin any hopes of reaching his ultimate goal. He would have to watch what happens from the shadows, and that...he did. It had its advantages, he was able to watch everything unravel, Diz's plans, Riku, Sora's awakening, the organization's plan to use him to open kingdom hearts, and Xemnas' ultimate defeat. That actually cam as a surprise to him, he thought that Xemnas' rage and desire for revenge would enable him to reach his goal, petty as it seemed to one who knew the whole truth. However, Sora displayed that his strength and determination were not to be underestimated, and he had his friends as well; Riku, the older and stronger key-bearer, the one who really surpassed his expectations. He thought that when Riku was consumed by the darkness, that would be the end of him, and he'd just become a being of darkness, just like the heartless. However, Riku chose the hard path; he decided to use darkness as a weapon, to mold it to fit his own purposes. _And he succeeded to do it, weird._ He never really got it…how anyone would be strong enough not to be broken by darkness. But Riku had a goal, he was going to get back to his friends, make up for everything he'd done, and he was able to reach that goal, with the help of his traveling companion, the ruler of Disney Castle, and a very dear friend to him, King Mickey. Mickey was the one who originally guided Riku through the world of darkness, he helped him to conquer the hatred that was growing inside him, hatred towards himself, one that would have eventually turned him into a mindless killing machine. _That king Mickey proved to be quite the great person, eh?... heh… if they only knew the whole deal._ He chuckled at that, he as well as that man were the only people who were able to unravel the mysteries concerning that world: the keyblades, keyholes, kingdom hearts, the heart of the world…_no, not just a world…_

He turned suddenly, sensing that there was someone was already standing by the door. His tension eased off, it was him after all, the man he'd been waiting for.

: You're late… that's a first.

Man: I know, I had things to take care of. I'll tell you about them, but now isn't a very good time, right?

: Indeed, we have to tend to more pressing issues. It's already started.

Man: I noticed, but have you done anything about it, Zexion?

The young man clenched his fists, he looked at the man with fiery eyes, but that didn't seem to scare him, he was used to Zexion's temper.

Zexion: I told you before…my name is not Zexion…..it is….Ienzo.


	5. A friendly welcome

_I finally made it. _He thought as he looked up at the ancient building towering above him. He pushed the large doors and entered, expecting to find his comrades and friends waiting for him. His smile was quickly erased by fear, _where could they be? _ He remembered that man's words… _he was hunting my friends, so does that mean that he claimed them all? Am I alone?_ The place was dark and deserted, even the large fireplace in the center of the hall was covered with dust, showing that it had been out of use for almost…._3 months! That's impossible! _Their leader had contacted him almost 5 days ago, and he came here as fast as he could, it just didn't add up. He walked around the place, seeking his own room, he walked through empty corridors, everything conveyed the sense of abandonment, there were even spider webs strung all over the place. Then, he finally found it, with excitement; he opened the door and peered inside, only to be blown away by a vicious kick to the face. It smashed what remained of the glass veneer, and sent him reeling against the opposite wall. The dust covering everything was disturbed, forming a small cloud that reduced visibility to a minimum. He tried to see anything; _they left one of their men behind, in case another one would follow. Those bastards! _Before he could act, another well placed kick hit him across the left cheek. _Impossible! Those people don't have that much strength._ That kick sent him flying through the rest of the corridor, crashing on an old wooden table. He was unable to move, being caught unawares was a problem he hadn't been able to fix, and those two kicks had made short work of him. He tasted blood in his mouth, and his stomach screamed where it hit the table. He felt a hand on his shoulder, flipping him into view.

: Oh no…

he opened his eyes, but instead of finding assassins, he saw two people standing by the table. They were a man and a woman, almost of his age. They were holding keyblades, much like his own, and they were wearing the same armor and helmet he wore, however, the glass veneer was removed, which gave him view of their faces, which conveyed anger, that quickly changed into distress and happiness. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Man: what a reception for a friend!

: It's you….you're back, you're finally back.

: took you long enough.

They both helped him up; he sat on the table, holding his stomach in pain. He took off the helmet, and blood was dripping from his mouth.

Man: you roughed me up pretty bad. What's all this about? Jade? Drac?

Jade: All in due time. Now, tell me; what took you so long? The commander issued the order five days ago. Most of us made it here in three days at most. We feared that you might have been…

Man: …killed by those key bearer hunters?

Drac: so, you know about them?

Man: I ran into them on the way here. Not very nice fellows, but they wouldn't listen to my warnings.

Jade: You didn't…

Man: I didn't have another choice, Jade. It was kill or be killed, and I don't think I'd be of much help if I were dead, would I?

Drac: you're right. Anyway, we're wasting time here, let's be on our way.

Man: where to?

Jade: well, as you can see, we're not safe here anymore, those people trying to kill us, for a reason even I don't know about. The commander ordered us to clear the mansion for now. We, to be exact, what's left of us, are hiding in a secret location, and that's where we're taking you right now.

Man: alright, let's go.

Jade: hold up, iron man! Let me take care of those wounds first.

Drac: ever the sympathetic one, jade. He ought to be more careful, he's a keyblade wielder for crying out loud.

Man: You'll never get over that ruthless nature of yours, Drac. Now, let's get going, the commander and I have a lot to talk about.

And with that, they left, not knowing that they weren't the only ones in the place at that time. a shadowy figure jumped out of the window, and hurried through the darkening streets to an unknown place.


	6. Radiance and darkness

Sora looked out of the Gummi ship's window; he gazed at the beautiful stars filling the sky. He had seen them many times before during his countless trips between the different worlds, but something was different; the sky was clear, there were no more enemy ships attacking them, and that was a good thing _I guess. _ Sora didn't feel too good about it, he missed the thrill of fighting heartless and nobodies, since every world now had its own heroes, more than capable of dealing with its threats. _ But I am the wielder of the keyblade, am I not needed anymore? _ That thought had wandered a lot in his head since they returned to their island, and he drove it out of his head every time, but it's been lingering there ever since, and the fact that Riku was becoming better every day wasn't helping. That feeling of jealousy wasn't going away, she told himself it would. _ But wait, why am I jealous? I am the wielder of the keyblade….i am the savior of the world, I am the one who stopped the organization. _To this, a small cynical voice answered …_ and all of this would not have happened, if Riku had managed to contain that darkness that overwhelmed him. You were just an errand boy, just like he told you in hollow bastion. _Sora shook his head, as if to drive the thoughts out of his head. Kairi saw him, and came over, looking worried

Kairi: Sora? Are you ok?

Sora: huh? Yeah…I am ok. Just got a bit lost in my thoughts, that's all.

Kairi smiled a warm smile that made Sora's insides tingle a bit, a feeling that wasn't new to him, although it made him feel uncomfortable. _I shouldn't feel like that. Sora, you idiot, she doesn't even feel that way about you, and why would she? You're just a dumb kid with a giant key, so don't get any funny thoughts. _ He smiled back at her, and turned back to the controls. He didn't want to get too distracted; there were still some meteors and asteroids out there.

Riku: so, Sora? Are we there yet?

Sora: Almost…we'll be there in 15 or 20 minutes tops.

Riku: alright….so, what do you think of this mission we've got?

Sora: you know…I know that this is wrong, but I am kinda hoping it turns out to be dangerous…some action wouldn't hurt one bit.

Riku: yeah, I know how you feel, and to be honest, I feel the same way. But you know, less problems means a safe world, and we can't say no to that, right?

Sora: guess so. Alright, here we are….radiant garden

They looked down at the renovated and improved radiant garden…their breath caught as they gazed at the beautiful place, no longer the desolate and chilling hollow bastion. The remains of the castle that occupied the center of the city were now gone, replaced by a beautiful white castle, with sparkling walls, and battlements shining in the morning sky. Gone were the deep gorges that surrounded it, now there were only green, large gardens and orchards that spanned every inch between the castle and the city, which was now large and bustling with life. People walked all over, shops were available at every corner, and fountains sparkled at every square. They brought the ship down near the castle, where there was a large courtyard, decorated by a large statue of Ansem the wise. Sora and the others walked out of the ship, and gazed up at the large monument. He felt reverence and regret struggling deep within him, that man had given his life for something he didn't do. He was a great and wise leader, and a man of science, yet because of his disciple, a young man he saved from a dreadful fate, corrupted by darkness, he betrayed his master's trust, and delved too deep into the darkness, and soon, they lost themselves to it. he often wondered: what would make a man give away so much for something so evil, _what is it about darkness that makes people want it so much?_ His close encounters with it weren't so great, when he became a heartless, he felt void and senseless, a feeling that filled him with dread. Even thinking about it made him shiver. _Maybe some sort of madness, desire for power..._he knew too well how power could drive people over the edge. After all, his closest friend had fallen into that pit some time ago, and it took a considerable amount of effort by everyone to bring him out of it. He shook his head…_now is not the time for such thoughts…Riku went through a lot. _Again, the cynical voice answered…_what? And you didn't…you fought the heartless, had your memory wiped clean and reinstalled, then you fought the nobodies and defeated them. _ At this point, Sora felt weird at this point, he felt as if something was intruding into his mind, but at the exact point when he got that thought, the feeling just vanished. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and rejoined the others.

Riku: Sora. You okay? You looked a bit funny back there…

Sora: Yeah, I am alright...it's just a bit hot here, I'm not used to it. Radiant garden used to be a lot….

: cooler?

They all turned to see a tall young man standing in front of them; he was wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the image of a lion, and blue jeans. He was holding a strange weapon is his hand, half sword, half gun…a peculiar weapon, known to the people who used it before as a 'gunblade'.

Sora: Leon!

Leon: hey, Sora! How've you been? These must be the famous Riku and Kairi.

Kairi blushed a bit, whereas Riku gave a careless shrug.

Sora: Hey, Leon…what's with the weather? Last time I was here, it was pretty cold.

Leon: Cid and Merlin worked together and developed what I understood as a weather machine, it simulates the weather of all seasons; and it's summer right now. It really works quite well.

Sora: you're telling me…I should have brought some lighter clothes.

Riku: So, the king told us you had something to show us.

Leon: to the point, eh? Well, I like that in people. You're just like Sora said.

Riku turned, a bit surprised

Riku: Sora talked a lot about us?

Leon: you have no idea…back when we were in Traverse Town; his only concern was to get back to you and Kairi. He wouldn't shut up about it.

Sora: Come on, Leon. You're embarrassing me.

Kairi: aw, Sora, you're no fun. Tell us more, Leon.

Leon: I'd love to, but we need to turn our attention to the more serious stuff now. Let's get to the computer room.

Sora: hey, where are Yuffie, Aerith and the others?

Leon: they're already waiting at the computer room

They walked into the gigantic castle through a small side door, Leon told them that the formalities would have to wait till later. They went up a few stairs, and now they were on their way to ansem's study. As they walked, Sora turned to Kairi, he talked to her in a low voice.

Sora: so, Kairi, how does it feel to be back home?

Kairi smiled a bit, but she didn't seem that excited.

Kairi: I don't have many memories of radiant garden. My home now is at the islands where we all live, Sora.

Sora: really? Well, we're all glad you think that way.

Behind them, Riku could hear everything. He shook his head and smiled at them_ those two are shaping up rather nicely. If they could get over the Kid stuff already…besides, Sora is one hell of a fighter, even empowered by darkness, I don' think I would have held for long. Kairi too, is looking sharp. Maybe that Donald doofus managed to train her right. well, the king trusts them more than anyone I know. Perhaps I ought to give them a break._

Leon: alright, we're here, and by the way, guys, my name……is Squall.


	7. The king

Donald: we're almost there, your majesty.

Mickey: alright, Donald. Tell me when we're about to land, I'm going to check some stuff in my room.

Donald: yes, your majesty.

Mickey: thank you, Donald and goofy, for coming along, I don't know where I'd be without you two.

Donald and goofy: thank you, your majesty.

Mickey left the room, leaving Donald and goofy to guide the ship to its destination.

Donald: I don't know why, but something fishy is going on here, goofy.

Goofy: why, Donald? Is something wrong?

Donald: I don't know. It all just seems too weird, even for the king. First, we go to master Yen-sid, the king stays there for some time, asks us to stay out. Then, he goes to Sora and tells him to go to radiant garden, and now, we're on our way to some mysterious place far away from any known world. What is going on?

Goofy: Gawrsh, Donald, I sure hope it's alright.

Donald: me too, goofy, but it doesn't look like it…I don't even think there's any…

Donald's words were interrupted by a loud beeping noise; he looked at the monitor in surprise

Donald: the king was right…there is something down there.

Goofy: we'll have to go down and see then.

Donald: I guess we will.

Donald pressed a button on the dashboard, then turned back to the controls, moving the ship down to the mist covered planet. Donald's fear increased as they moved closer to the ground; the mist cleared, and to his surprise, the world there did not look like anything he'd seen before; no jungle, no water, no metropolis, not a single building…just a huge, sprawling desert that covered the whole planet. Donald and Goofy's eyes widened in fear.

Mickey: just as I expected.

They turned to see the king standing by one of the windows, looking down at the desert. His eyes reflected determination and alertness, but they didn't know why, they didn't even know why they were there in the first place.

Donald: you know this place, your majesty?

Mickey: I do… bring us down, Donald.

Donald: yes, your majesty.

The ship moved towards the surface, raising a storm of sand around it. goofy watched eagerly as the ship landed, and the sand calmed down.

Goofy: good job, Donald.

Donald: thanks…so, what now, your majesty?

Mickey: I'm going to explore the place, are you coming?

Donald and goofy: of course, your majesty

Mickey smiled, apparently affected by their loyalty. He pressed the ramp button and turned.

Mickey: alright, let's go.

They walked out of the ship, and onto the hot sand. As they looked around, they were surprised and deeply frightened by the loneliness of the place. There was nothing there, no sign of life, or even death. Even the very air was still; no wind to move the sand, which seemed undisturbed for thousands of years, until they arrived. Donald's feeling of fear returned, after it had subsided for a while, accentuated by the king's silence. He was looking around, his eyes scanning the desert. He seemed to be looking for something, but there was nothing there. Donald walked up to him

Donald: are you looking for something, your majesty?

Mickey: Donald; you and goofy wait here. I want to check something out.

Goofy: but, your majesty, there's nothing here!

Mickey: That might be true, goofy. Nevertheless, I have to make sure.

Donald: sure of what?

Mickey: I can't tell you that, Donald. Not just yet.

Worried about the king's behavior, Donald and Goofy shared a look; they didn't want to do this, but something told them that trouble was brewing. And that was enough, they couldn't let it go any further. Donald stepped up in front of the king.

Donald: your majesty?

Mickey: what is it, Donald?

Donald: we're not going with you, your majesty, not until you tell us what's going on.

Mickey: is that so? What about you, goofy?

Goofy: I'm with Donald, your majesty. We gotta know what's going on.

Strangely, the king smiled; a cold, cruel smile they had never seen before. He turned to them, and the keyblade materialized suddenly in his hand. Donald and goofy suddenly realized the danger of the situation, but they couldn't back off now, it was obvious that something was wrong.

Mickey: he warned me that this would happen. He said you'd turn on me.

Donald: who are you talking about, your majesty?

Mickey: that is none of your business!

Suddenly, the king jumped towards Donald, attempting to attack him with the keyblade; however, Goofy stepped up quickly and blocked the attack with his shield. The king sprang back to the ground.

Mickey: so, you're going to fight me now?

Goofy: you're leaving us no choice, your majesty.

Donald brought out his magic wand, and aimed it at the king. His hand shook in fear; he never thought he'd have to do that, but the situation was pressing; he had to subdue the king, before things get any worse. He had to do it, for the sake of the king; that thought alone strengthened his hand, as the king charged at them again. Donald picked his moment and raised the wand.

Donald: Thunder!

Sparks of lightening hit the king, sending him flying back and crashing on the sand meters away from them, unconscious. Donald wiped the sweat of his face, and turned to goofy, who was standing, wide-eyed, obviously not believing what just happened.

Donald: I had to, goofy. We had to stop him!

Goofy: I know, Donald. So, what are we going to do now?

Donald: the only thing we can do….tell Sora


End file.
